Is there a unifying theme behind great membership sites?
Yes… and no.
The best membership sites can look wildly different from each other.
There is no one uniform look or layout for successful membership websites.
Some have clean and modern interfaces.
Others, like Specific Answers, appear compressed and crowded.
But great membership sites are deeper than first-glance appearances.
And if you want to build a site that people will pay for long term, you have to know your ideal customer inside and out.
Great membership sites are constantly studying their audience.
They test and tweak design. They analyze funnels and offers. They compare members who renew with those who cancel.
What they learn allows them to make seemingly-crucial decisions about layout or software, relatively easily. This is not the case for less informed site managers who agonize over the same big decisions.
Here’s what else top membership sites do right.
They give members what they want
The person who joins your site has good reasons for doing so. It’s unlikely that he or she joined on a whim–even if the prompt was your free trial offer.
(Of course, free trials aren’t completely “free. ” They cost both time–especially when trying to cancel–and privacy.)
He or she was motivated by a problem they want gone or a desire for something good.
Great membership sites understand urgency.
They don’t hold back vital content from members, especially new ones. Nor do they make them jump through hoops to access it.
They deliver their best content on a silver platter so that it can’t be missed.
For example, if they’re selling “community,” it will be found easily just past the paywall, like on Great Big Photography World.
How do new membership sites know what’s important?
Newer membership sites will have less data than established sites.
That means that relying more on instinct, preferences, competitor comparisons, and trends than numbers.
But the less scientific approach shouldn’t feel like a roll of the dice if you’re operating in a defined, narrow niche.
It’s temporary data until you have more to analyze.
As it is, the processes great membership sites use to keep their finger on the pulse of their audience are always relevant.
Take polling. The best sites are always asking their members (trial members included) questions.
While most probably won’t respond, both answers and silence tell part of a story. You can come closer to understanding the reason they joined based on the funnel, traffic source, or referral.
Whether new data confirms what you’re doing is desirable (e.g., weekly Q & As) or leads to a revelation (members read transcripts more than watch videos), the goal is to improve your member’s site experience.
One thing to always keep in mind. Members want what they want, not necessarily what you think they need.
The latter is an almost inevitable ditch that start-up membership sites fall into.
It takes time to analyze what people do as opposed to what they say they’re going to do.
Once you know what is most attractive, you invest resources accordingly. Not all parts of your site are of the same importance.
The smartest membership sites optimize and expand on their most popular content and formats.
They invest in other ideas but never at the expense of the proven money makers.
They reward loyalty
While many people are happy to pay for the value a membership site provides, gifts make them even happier.
Gifts, as in bonus content, discounts, advance notice, sneak peaks, and more remind them of their priveledged status.
Or, like American Express used to say, “membership has its perks.”
Members need to be surprised occasionally, if not often. Gifts do just that.
They can be timely, like a birthday or as a reward for completing a milestone.
They add a touch of unpredictability into the relationship. That’s vital after the luster of the first month or so wears off. Otherwise, some members will assume that they’ve see everything you have to offer.
Gifts are as valuable as the members perceive them. You’ll know what they value as you track them and learn their behavior.
One thing you can do online that you can’t do in person with gifts (because it’d be considered tacky!) is leave the price tag on.
That is, as you hand off the gift, make sure they know it’s not a add-on that didn’t cost you anything.
(Because if it’s worth zero, why would they want it?)
No, the best membership sites use universal tactics like those found on sales pages.
The “no wait, there’s more!” reason to act.
This is a soft way to remind members that they’ve made a good choice by staying active in your program.
Gifts can persuade a member who’s on the fence about renewing to go ahead and pull the trigger.
They motivate members with reminders
It’s never a bad idea to remind members of the progress they’ve made because of your program.
Otherwise, you’re vulnerable to the syndrome, What have you done for me lately?
The best membership sites challenge their audience to better themselves. To keep working towards the goal.
Motivation comes in direct and subtle forms.
Direct motivation is obvious. Think of contests, member success stories, member spotlights, in-person meetups, live events, and more.
Subtle motivation has to do with the brand you’re building. It’s delivered through quality content on a consistent schedule. Think of predictable formats for how-to-videos. Or that the email newsletter shows up at 10am each Monday morning.
A consistent schedule for publishing content helps remind members that time is passing and with it, opportunity.
Ideally, you want to remind members of the person they were when they joined you.
Are they better for becoming a member?
The answer should be yes, maybe even a 2X, 5X, 10X YES (!).
No matter the enthusiasm, regular reminders show them what’s possible.
The fact is, many long-time members are fine with dreaming and not doing. The best membership sites understand this and act accordingly.
They frame support expectations
Poor customer support is one of the top reasons members quit a site. Experience doesn’t meet expectations. Which is why, the best sites, emphasize what kind of support members can expect.
American Express posts hours (PST, M-F), chat bots, FAQS, support tickets, technical support, and a prominent search bar.
No one is going to expect a niche membership site to offer the same support options as American Express, Amazon, or Spectrum Business.
(It goes without saying that contact options are worthless if they’re not functional. Spectrum. Spectrum. Paging you, Spectrum!)
The best small sites inform new members at the time they join about customer support options.
Customer support tickets are a great way to get to know new members.
Where are they getting hung up? What’s frustrating them.
It’s always better to solve a problem than have a member quit.
The best membership sites do not have the same, constant customer support issues. If they do, they fix it.
They make the necessary changes to ensure customers aren’t wasting their valuable time.
Great membership sites are often far more important to their members than social media
Members in an online community usually have a lot more invested in it than they do in their social media accounts.
Paid, private communities separate the serious seeker from the unserious browser.
Membership sites are often where customers form their most trusted relationships.
The best sites take this seriously and focus on delivery, rewards, reminders, and member support.
Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash